Portsmouth Veteran Has a lot to Smile About

For one Portsmouth veteran, smiling this Veteran’s Day has become a whole lot easier.

Peter White, who served in the Coast Guard, recently received a pair of dentures that have changed his life – all for free – from Dr. Alexey Latsilnik at the local Aspen Dental office as part of their effort to give back to veterans this year.

After serving in the search and rescue operation for five year, Peter retired and got a job working at a bar where he retired in 2003, according to a press statement. Although Peter was not a smoker, during his work in the bar business he was exposed to the smoke, which the doctors claim was a major contributing factor to his lung cancer. As a result of this, Peter’s larynx was removed in 2011, and ever since he has had a very hard time eating and must talk out of a voice box.

“My teeth were breaking off at my gums from radiation and chemo that I received in February 2012, because I had larynx cancer, and could not chew my food small enough to swallow,” wrote Peter, in a letter to the Aspen Dental staff after the treatment. “I needed my teeth extracted and dentures.”

Peter could not afford dental insurance and does not receive dental benefits through the VA, like many other veterans since one must be 100 percent disabled to qualify, meaning he would never have been able to get this care – which would have cost over $8,500.

“As I do not have the funds to pay for this procedure – Aspen Dental guided me through a process called ‘A Smile for Your Service,’ where a veteran with cancer, that has had radiation and chemo, could qualify for free dental care,” wrote Peter. “I will now be able to enjoy a better way of life, thanks to Aspen Dental.”

Dr. Latsilnik, whose office is located on 1600 Woodbury Ave, was able to provide this care through the Healthy Mouth Movement, a community-giving initiative launched by Aspen Dental in 2014 to deliver free dental care and oral health education to people in need.

“This patient was once someone who went out to rescue people. Now he needs someone to rescue him and we are the ones capable of that task,” said Dr. Latsilnik.

“I’m proud to say that we are the opportunity as a group to do just that.”